1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a musical instrument and method for automatic musical accompaniment with indicating chord fingerings.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a keyboard musical instrument is known which automatically outputs preset accompaniment patterns (for example, backing part (middle range chord) and bass part) with shifting pitches in accordance with chords designated by a player.
Some such keyboard musical instruments are designed for beginners which allow a player to designate desired chords with simplified fingering (hereinafter, referred to as simple fingering mode). Usually, keys on the keyboard are divided into two areas. One for accompaniment (harmony) (hereinafter, referred to as accompaniment area), and the other for melody playing etc. Generally, keys lower than a predetermined key form the accompaniment area. Some chords are assigned to predetermined keys in the accompaniment area. The predetermined keys function as chord designation switches. Therefore, the player can play chords with easy operation. For advanced players, so-called fingered chord mode is also available. It requires a player to press keys in the accompaniment area in accordance with full-chord fingerings.
Recently, keyboard musical instruments having a fingering guide function have been in use. Such keyboard outputs, for example, accompaniment patterns represented by chord data (indicating root and chord type) in accordance with measures and beats in a score are synchronous with predetermined tempo. At the same time, keys to be pressed are lit by an LED or the like in accordance with the output chord data to indicate fingering position.
Those conventional keyboard musical instruments have the following problems (a) to (c).
(a) In a case where a player plays accompaniments by referring to a sample accompaniment pattern present in the instrument under the fingered chord mode, it always allows only root position fingering, because the lowest note of each chord is always regarded as a root note. In other words, it is not compatible with inverted chords which are helpful for smooth fingering. As a result, the player must play chords with awkward fingering.
(b) Even in a case of the simple fingering mode, it is difficult for a beginner player who has not previously played accompaniment to play chords for playing accompaniment at proper timings. Therefore, it is not suitable for practicing on accompaniment.
(c) In case of the fingering guide type wherein proposed keys are lit just before a key depression timing, accompaniment pattern (chord progression) is built based on root position chords. Such a root position oriented accompaniment pattern often requires a player to move his/her hand widely to press lit keys. It causes difficulties for a beginner player who is not familiar with chord fingerings.
It is an object of a first aspect of the present invention to provide a musical instrument which conducts operations for playing chords with smooth chord position changes.
More precisely, the musical instrument for automatically playing a musical accompaniment according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises:
an accompaniment pattern storage unit which stores chord progression of a musical accompaniment;
a chord position storage unit which stores chord position data corresponding to the chords in the accompaniment pattern storage unit, the chord position data include chord tone sets corresponding to root position and inverted positions for each chord;
a chord position determining unit which reads a first chord of the chord progression from the accompaniment pattern storage unit, and analyzes a second chord to be played next to the first chord, to determine whether the root position or the inverted position should be selected for the smoothest chord playing; and
a pitch indicator which indicates pitches in the chord tone set of the first chord in accordance with the chord position determined by the chord position determining unit.
It is an object of a second aspect of the present invention to provide a musical instrument which provides chord positions and timings of playing chords.
More precisely, the musical instrument for automatically playing a musical accompaniment according to the second aspect of the present invention comprises:
an accompaniment pattern storage unit which stores chord progression of a musical accompaniment;
a chord reader which reads out chords to be played from the accompaniment pattern storage unit being synchronous with predetermined tempo;
an operation conductor which conducts operations to designate chords read by the chord reader; and
a timing indicator which indicates timings of performing the operation conducted by the operation conductor.
It is an object of a third aspect of the present invention to provide a musical instrument which conducts operations for playing chords easily.
More precisely, the musical instrument for automatically playing a musical accompaniment comprising:
an accompaniment pattern storage unit which stores chord progression of a musical accompaniment;
a chord position storage unit which stores chord position data corresponding to the chords in the accompaniment pattern storage unit, the chord position data include chord tone sets corresponding to a root position and inverted positions for each chord;
a note selector which extracts chord tone sets including a root position and inverted positions of a second chord in the chord progression from the chord position storage unit, and selects a note in the extracted chord tone sets of the second chord which is the closest to a first chord whose operation has already been conducted; and
an operation conductor which indicates pitches of the chord tone set including the note selected by the note selector.
In this case, the musical instrument may further comprise note designators which designate notes available by the musical instrument, wherein
the selector may previously obtain first position of one of the note designator which designates a middle note between the highest and the lowest notes in the chord tone set of the first chord, obtain second positions of the note designators which designates middle notes between the highest and the lowest notes of the chord tone sets of the second chord, and select one of the chord tone sets of the second chord including the note corresponding to one of the second positions which is the closest to the first position.
It is an object of a fourth aspect of the present invention to provide a method for conducting operations for playing chords with smooth chord position changes.
More precisely, the method for automatically playing a musical accompaniment according to the fourth aspect of the present invention comprises the steps of:
reading a first chord in chord progression in accordance with a musical accompaniment to be played which is stored in an accompaniment pattern storage unit;
analyzing a second chord following to the first chord to determine whether the first chord should employ a root position or an inverted position to realize the smoothes the chord playing, and obtaining a chord tone set of the first chord corresponding to the determined chord position from a chord position storage unit which stores chord tone sets including root position and inverted positions for each chord corresponding to the chord progression stored in the accompaniment pattern storage unit; and
guiding pitches of the determined chord tone set of the first chord.
It is an object of a fifth aspect of the present invention to provide a method for conducting chord positions and timings of playing chords.
More precisely, the method for automatically playing a musical accompaniment according to the fifth aspect of the present invention comprises the steps of:
reading chords to be played with synchronizing with predetermined tempo from an accompaniment pattern storage unit which stores chord progression of a musical accompaniment;
conducting operations for designating the read chords;
indicating timings for performing the conducted operations for the read chords.
It is an object of a sixth aspect of the present invention to provide a method for conducting operations for playing chords easily.
More precisely, the method for automatically playing a musical accompaniment according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, which conducts operations for playing chords which are read-out from an accompaniment storage unit which stores chord progression for a musical accompaniment, comprises the steps of:
extracting chord tone sets including a root position and inverted positions of a second chord in the chord progression from the chord position storage unit, and selecting a note in the extracted chord tone sets of the second chord which is the closest to a first chord whose operation has already been conducted; and
indicating pitches of the chord tone set including the selected note.
In this case, available notes for playing the chords may be designated by note designators; and
the note selecting step may previously obtain first position of one of the note designator which designates a middle note between the highest and the lowest notes in the chord tone set of the first chord, obtain second positions of the note designators which designates middle notes between the highest and the lowest notes of the chord tone sets of the second chord, and select one of the chord tone sets of the second chord including the note corresponding to one of the second positions which is the closest to the first position.